Mashrafe Mortaza had to perform, there is no alternative to it, reckons Shakib Al-Hasan
Shakib Al-Hasan has stated that the support of other players to his brilliant World Cup run could have helped the team fare better, with Mashrafe Mortaza's continuous failures affecting morale. He further said that the leadership role does not suit him and the young players should be given a chance.
Shakib Al-Hasan had a dream World Cup that would go down in history as one of the greatest performances ever by a player in the tournament’s history. He managed to score 633 runs while also picking up 10 wickets in what turned out to be a one-man charge towards glory. His team ended up in the eighth spot and got eliminated in the first round itself after his efforts failed to get enough support from the other 10 players.
The biggest cause of concern came in the form of skipper Mashrafe Mortaza’s performance, who is currently on the brink of retirement. The 35-year-old managed to get just a single scalp in nine games, which Shakib believes led to the team’s downfall in the mega-event.
"I always believed that we could go a long way, and if we could get help from everyone maybe we could reach the semis. For many reasons, many things do not happen. When a player is not performing, he starts thinking about his own performance more than the team. Then it becomes an issue. I think the same thing happened with Mashrafe Bhai. Since the captain was not performing, it became a problem for him and also for the team. The captain has to perform. There is no alternative for it,” he was reported saying by Cricbuzz.
Shakib himself is the national team captain in T20s and Tests, but he stated he would rather not have the role since he felt the duties over-burdened him and kept him from performing at his best.
"Mentally I am not prepared for those (leadership roles). But the team is not in a condition for now, and I understand that to bring the team in a good shape it would be better if I am around and performing well,” Al-Hasan said.
Having been first made captain following an injury to Mortaza in 2009, he led the Tigers in a two-year stint that didn’t bring much success to the nation, leading him to be sacked from the role. However, he was again given the position a couple of years ago after Mushfiqur Rahim’s unsatisfactory results in Tests and Mortaza’s retirement from the game’s shortest format.
"If I don't take that role, I can focus on my game more. It will also help the team. I want new players to take responsibility. Until you give them responsibility, you won't understand how they will do. When I was named captain at 22, who knew how good I was. We have the Test Championship and T20 World Cup coming up. We should start preparing for the next four years from now," Shakib concluded.
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